Cork board clarifies expenses situation

The Cork County Board last night clarified the situation with senior inter-county panel expenses after the Irish Examiner were informed there were several outstanding issues.

None of the senior footballers’ claims for this year’s championship have been paid but, according to county chairman Ger Lane, the board’s liaison with Peadar Healy’s panel, that is because they were received earlier this month.

It was also highlighted to this newspaper the hurlers had also trouble in obtaining their receipted expenses but that is not the case, according to Lane. “As far as I’m aware, all of the hurlers have been paid their expenses,” he said. “The footballers’ expenses for the championship were received by us on September 3 and came through the captain of the team (Paul Kerrigan). They wouldn’t have been paid as of yet and are in the process of being reviewed.

“In relation to the National League, there is one footballers’ expenses query, which has not been paid. That requires a meeting with team management, which has not yet taken place.”

Lane, who insisted the footballers will be recompensed as soon as possible, also said all players’ gym memberships have been paid by the board. It is believed there was one instance of a panel member recently finding difficulty in gaining entry to a gym but that matter has been rectified.

From next year, player expenses are set to increase as part of the new proposed agreement inked between the GAA and GPA, which will see the mileage rate rise from 50 cent to between 62.5 and 65 cent per mile, a jump of 30%. The deal will also put forward a new refundable and vouched nutrition expenses to the tune of €1.2 million.

Last year, Cork spent €1,422,670 on their inter- county teams, up over €50,000 from 2014 when the figure was €1.388m.